Chennai, Feb 26 – Abhishek Sharma rediscovered his form with a brilliant 50, Hardik Pandya smashed a half-century, and Tilak Varma overcame strike-rate concerns as India won by a massive 72 runs against Zimbabwe, keeping their chances alive in the race to the T20 World Cup semi-finals on Thursday.
Along with this impressive performance, India posted a formidable 256 for 4 – their highest ever score in the T20 World Cups, and also the highest in this edition of the ICC tournament.
In this match, India's victory ensured South Africa's (4 points) entry into the last four from Group 1, leaving the hosts and the West Indies in a virtual knockout match in Kolkata on March 1. Both India and the West Indies now have two points, going into their last group stage encounter.
However, this success wouldn't have been possible without the contributions of Abhishek (55 off 30 balls, 4 fours, 4 sixes), Pandya (50 off 23 balls, 2 fours, 4 sixes), and Tilak Varma (44 off 16 balls, 3 fours, 4 sixes), who helped India recover from a 76-run defeat to the Proteas in the previous match.
In reply, Zimbabwe could only manage 184 for 6. Opener Brian Bennett, who smashed Shivam Dube for 26 runs in an over, offered some resistance with an unbeaten 59-ball 97, but his knock ultimately proved insufficient.
Each of those three knocks was significant, but Abhishek's performance was particularly impactful.
Abhishek Regains Confidence
Since returning from a stomach bug, the Punjab batter had struggled, scoring three ducks in a row.
However, on the smooth Chepauk pitch, the left-hander found his rhythm, easing the concerns of the Indian team management.
The 25-year-old played a key role in a strong opening partnership with Sanju Samson (48 off 48 balls, 4 fours, 6 sixes) and then a 72-run partnership with Ishan Kishan (38 off 23 balls, 2 fours, 4 sixes) for the next wicket, giving the hosts a solid start.
Pairing Samson with Abhishek was a good move, as it helped break the sequence of left-handers at the top.
Abhishek smashed 24 off 15 balls to ease any nerves his partner had.
After Samson was dismissed, Abhishek took charge of the Indian innings.
He smashed sixes off Tino Maposo, Brian Bennett, and Richard Ngarava as India scored 80 for one in the Power Play, their second-best score after 86/1 against Namibia in a group match.
Abhishek, who had been struggling with his strike rate, finally found his rhythm, scoring 50 off just 26 balls with a single off spinner Sikandar Raza.
More importantly, Abhishek looked assured against spin, his nemesis in previous matches.
Abhishek's aggressive batting and the fielding errors by Zimbabwe helped India maintain the tempo, scoring 81 runs between the seventh and 14th overs.
The tourists also made some fielding errors, dropping Kishan (26) and Suryakumar Yadav (8).
However, Abhishek could not extend his innings further, as he was caught off Maposo in the deep, much to Zimbabwe's relief.
Middle-Order Steps Up, Tilak's Strike Rate Improves
However, this relief didn't last long, as India's middle-order batters, who had been struggling to pace up on slower surfaces in earlier matches, rediscovered their form on the mixed soil surface at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.
India reached the team's 100 in 9.1 overs, and the next 100 came in just 7.3 overs.
Pandya (50) and Tilak (44) used the long handle effectively, scoring 84 runs for the fifth wicket as India maximized the final five overs, which yielded 80 runs.
Pandya reaffirmed his status as a death-over specialist with a typically aggressive fifty, while Tilak's performance pleased the think tank.
Prior to this match, Tilak had been struggling, with a strike rate of 118. But the true-paced Chennai pitch helped him improve, scoring 275 runs.
Once India posted this massive total, it was a matter of containment, and the bowlers, led by left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh (3/24), did a perfect job to defend India's title chances.
